1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a system for assessing a level of refrigerant charge in a vehicle air conditioning system.
2. Background Art
Vehicle air conditioning systems must have an adequate amount or “charge” of refrigerant to effectively cool vehicle occupants. This refrigerant charge is provided during vehicle assembly operations or after the air conditioning system is serviced.
Previously, technicians determined whether the refrigerant charge was adequate by turning on the air conditioning system and manually feeling the temperature of the air blown into the vehicle passenger compartment. Such subjective assessments were inaccurate, unreliable, and lacked repeatability. Moreover, inaccurate refrigerant charge assessments result in ineffective air conditioning performance, customer complaints, and increased warranty and repair costs.
Before applicant's invention, there was a need for a method and a system for quickly assessing the level of refrigerant charge in a vehicle air conditioning system and to do so in an accurate and repeatable manner. Problems associated with the prior art as noted above and other problems are addressed by Applicant's invention as summarized below.